Toward prescriptive alternatives to suspensions: A preliminary evaluation

Data were collected at a large urban high school in order to determine the extent of discipline problems, the use of suspension, and the procedural integrity of the school's disciplinary policy. Results documented a high frequency of disciplinary referrals and suspensions and poor correspondence between school disciplinary policy and disciplinary actions. Next, individual assessments of middle and high school students' academic and social behavior documented a very high incidence of academic and social skills deficits, as well as other adjustment problems, among students with recurrent suspensions. Substantial individual differences between students illustrated that students with recurrent suspensions are a very heterogeneous group. Implications for developing proactive treatment alternatives to suspension are discussed.